We Are, Because He Dared to Be

In 1999, Chandmal Sir started what was then known as Manish Media Agency in Jaipur. It began with a hotel room, one man with an idea and a strong belief in the power of stories.

His determination to build something meaningful fuelled his drive, taking this small publishing house from that room in Jaipur to the world.

Chandmal Sir would travel everywhere, meet everyone and once someone met him, they could never forget him. His wife, Ratan, was his travel companion and witness to the love, respect and friendship he received everywhere he went.

Over the years, Manish Media Agency evolved into Maneesh Media, with his three sons, Manish, Abhishek and Siddharth, joining him.

It grew from its Jaipur roots into a global publishing house with a presence in the United States and Canada.

But while the name and scale of the organisation changed, the essence of what Chandmal Sir had set out to create remained constant: a platform that would bring people and their stories together, preserve their journeys and connect Indians across the world with the land and values from which they came.

Such was his commitment to his purpose that it reflects even in the name.

Together, the name evokes “The Guiding Light of the Soul.”

It was more than a name; it captured the spirit of what Chandmal Sir envisioned the organisation could become — a place where stories could illuminate, inspire and connect.

The name has become a reflection of the journey he had imagined for the company: to be relentless seekers, gathering and sharing collective wisdom through the untold stories of exemplary Indians.

Chandmal Sir has left behind a treasure trove of knowledge and experience for the Maneesh Media family.

He has left the belief that every life holds something worth learning from. That the experiences of one person could become a source of wisdom for another. That when stories were shared with honesty and care, they could travel across generations and across borders.

Sir’s ambition was never defined by balance sheets. It was defined by the relationships he had sustained over the years.

The visionary he was, Chandmal Sir knew that it was people who made up the fabric of a society.

He understood that behind every successful individual was a story — often one of sacrifice, perseverance, courage and family — and that these stories deserved to be documented with dignity.

This understanding became particularly significant as he began to engage with the Indian diaspora.

He saw generations of Indians who had travelled across the world, built new lives and contributed to their adopted countries while remaining deeply connected to their roots.

Their stories, he believed, were part of India’s larger story.

Through coffee-table books, family legacy editions, commemorative publications and books celebrating the achievements of Indians around the world, Chandmal Sir gave the world a valuable platform through which people could take righteous pride in their own journeys.

Chandmal Sir redefined publishing from the simple production of a book to a celebratory, immersive experience of how stories must be told.

Maneesh Media’s story owes its existence as India’s leading diaspora publishing house to one man who dared to dream and achieve the most extraordinary feat — bringing people, families, communities and a country together, binding them in words.

The belief that every story deserves to be told with sincerity, honesty and transparency remains at the heart of Maneesh Media today.